"Remember, if the time should come, when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

In 1993, Cedric captained his team against Gryffindor in the first match of the school year. Originally, the match should have taken place between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but Draco Malfoy played on the fact that his arm had been injured by the HippogriffBuckbeak to get out of playing in stormy conditions. During the match, Cedric and Harry Potter contested the Golden Snitch. However, Harry was overcome by the presence of Dementors and fell from his broom. Cedric caught the Golden Snitch, but as soon as he realised what had happened to Harry, he immediately offered to replay the match. The Gryffindor captain, Oliver Wood, declined the offer, knowing that Cedric had won the match fair and square. In 1994, Cedric was one of the first to congratulate Harry on obtaining a Firebolt to replace his old broom.[3]

Sixth year

Cedric started his sixth year in September 1994, the same year that the Triwizard Tournament was reinstated. Being of age, Cedric submitted his name to the Goblet of Fire for the chance to become the Hogwarts Champion. On October 31st, the Goblet chose the champions to represent the three schools; Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons, Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, and Cedric himself for Hogwarts. Cedric joined the other champions in a small room off the Great Hall, and was surprised to learn that after he had left the Hall, the Goblet had produced a fourth name - Harry Potter. Despite Harry's protestations, Cedric didn't believe Harry at all.[1]

Triwizard Tournament

In the weeks that followed his selection, Cedric was supported by the majority of the school, even the Slytherins. Enchanted badges became popular around the school that read Support CEDRIC DIGGORY - the REAL Hogwarts Champion!, then changed to read POTTER STINKS. Cedric, however, was not fond of the badges and asked his friends not to wear them. As part of the Tournament, Cedric took part in the Wand Weighing ceremony conducted by Garrick Ollivander, who deemed his wand "pleasantly springy", and posed for photos for the Daily Prophet. However, his entry into the Tournament was completely overlooked by Rita Skeeter's article on the event in favour of Harry, a situation his father was most displeased about.[1]

The First Task

In the months before to the First Task, Cedric was informed by Harry that the first task was to get past a dragon. Cedric was the only Champion not to be aware of them, and Harry felt it was only fair to tell him so everyone would be on an even footing. On November 24th, the Champions gathered and randomly selected miniature versions of a dragon with a number on them to indicate the order in which they would face them. Cedric drew the Swedish Short-Snout and the number one slot, so entered the arena first to attempt to retrieve the golden egg it was guarding. Facing the dragon, Cedric Transfigured a rock into a Labrador to distract the creature. While the dragon turned to chase the dog, Cedric went for the Golden egg. Although he retrieved it, the dragon lost interest in the dog, preferring to go after Cedric. The dragon burned Cedric on the side of his face, and he barely managed to get away from it. He was tended to by Madam Pomfrey, who applied an orange paste to his face to heal the wound.[1]

Like all the Champions, Cedric had to work out the clue hidden in the Golden egg to prepare for the Second Task. He was aided by Barty Crouch Jr, disguised as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, who told him to take it into the bath and listen to it underwater. He took it into the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor, and opened the egg underwater. He heard the clue, but it took him a while to figure out that it referred to the merpeople in the lake.[1]

At Christmas, Cedric was required to attend the Yule Ball, a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament. He asked Cho Chang to attend the ball with him, and she accepted. Towards the end of the ball, Cedric found Harry and told him to take the egg into the bath as he had done. As repayment for warning him about the dragons, he gave Harry access to the Prefect's Bathroom to work out the clue.[1]

On 24 February, the Second Task took place. Having deciphered the clue in the Golden egg, Cedric knew he had to breathe underwater for at least an hour and retrieve something that had been stolen from him. He effectively employed the Bubble-Head Charm, and reached the merpeople village shortly after Harry. He found that his something that he would "sorely miss" was Cho, and rescued her. He warned Harry - who was worried about the other "hostages" - to hurry up, then swam to the surface. He arrived one minute outside the hour time limit, and received forty-seven points. After two tasks, he was tied for first place with Harry.[1]

The Third Task

— Cedric and Harry try to decide who should get the Triwizard Cup.[src]

Prior to the Third Task, Cedric, along with the other Champions, joined Ludo Bagman to view the maze that was being grown on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. Along with Harry, Cedric was dismayed to see the Quidditch pitch overgrown, but was assured by Bagman that the pitch would be returned to normal following the conclusion of the Tournament.[1]

Cedric in the maze during the Third Task.

On the 24th June, Cedric was joined by his parents who had been invited to watch the Third Task. During the meeting, his father confronted Harry over the coverage he had been receiving in the press at the expense of his son. Cedric tried to calm him down and explain that it wasn't Harry's fault, then apologised to Harry.[1]

Because they were tied for first place, Cedric entered the maze with Harry. They split up, each hoping to be the first to get to the Triwizard Cup placed in the centre of the maze. Soon after, Cedric encountered one of Rubeus Hagrid's now gigantic Blast-Ended Skrewts, and narrowly escaped being burned by it. After the Skrewt, Cedric came across Viktor Krum. Krum - who was under the Imperius Curse at the time - attacked Cedric with the Cruciatus Curse. He was saved by Harry, who stunned Krum, and reluctantly shot red sparks into the air to mark Krum's position, so that the Durmstrang champion could be retrieved from the maze. Despite being briefly united, he and Harry split apart again to seek the cup.[1]

Cedric spotted the cup, and sprinted towards it as fast as he could. From his left, an Acromantula burst onto the path and attacked him. His wand was knocked out of his hand, but the timely arrival of Harry distracted it enough for Cedric to recover his own wand. Although the giant spider was too powerful to be brought down by a single spell, Harry and Cedric both stunned it at the same time. Recovering, the two of them found themselves next to the Triwizard Cup. Having been saved by Harry twice in the maze, Cedric urged him to take the Cup. The two argued about who should take it and win the Tournament, each pointing out that they had been helped by the other. Eventually, Harry suggested that they both take it for a Hogwarts victory. Pleased, Cedric helped the injured Harry towards the Cup, and they both took hold of it. Their touch activated the Cup, which had been turned into a Portkey, and the two of them were transported to the Little Hangleton graveyard.[1]

The Little Hangleton graveyard and death

"From high above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare." A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to ground beside him. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead."

The Portkey deposited both Cedric and Harry in a graveyard. Confused, Cedric recommended proceeding with wands out until they knew what was going on. Soon after their arrival, Peter Pettigrew emerged from the darkness carrying the small form of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to "Kill the spare," and he used Voldemort's own wand to murder Cedric with the Killing Curse.[1]

Although dead, Cedric still had a role to play in the night's events. After Voldemort was reborn, he and Harry engaged in a duel, during which their wands - which shared a wand core from the same phoenix - connected, creating the effect known as Priori Incantatem, the backward spell effect. Voldemort's wand began regurgitating the last spells it had cast in reverse. Cedric's shadow emerged from Voldemort's wand, along with the shadows of Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, and James and Lily Potter. Cedric's "echo" asked Harry to take his body back to his parents while he helped the others. Harry agreed, and when he broke the wand connection, the shadows advanced on Voldemort, shielding Harry. Harry used the opportunity to take hold of Cedric's body, then summon the Cup to himself and transport them both back to Hogwarts.[1]

Cedric's body was returned to the grounds, and Harry clung to it, refusing to let it go until Albus Dumbledore pulled him away. The crowd that had gathered for the Third Task erupted into screams when they realised what had happened, and Cedric's parents were grief-stricken by the fate that had been befallen their son (although his mother attempted to console herself by reflecting that Cedric hadn't suffered in death, and that he had died after winning the Tournament, believing that the victory would have made him happy).[1]

Cedric's death was widely felt throughout the school, and on 26 June the Leaving Feast was turned into a memorial for him, with black banners replacing the house colours. Dumbledore delivered a tribute to Cedric, and relayed the events that had led to his death to the student body, telling them, against the explicit wishes of the Ministry of Magic, that the young Hufflepuff had been murdered by Lord Voldemort himself.[1]

Post-mortem

"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded and most importantly a fierce, fierce friend. Now I think therefore you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this, but not to do so I think would be an insult to his memory."

Cedric's photo, along with the original Order of the Phoenix's, was stuck on the D.A.'s mirror as something to look at for inspiration.

The Ministry of Magic refused to accept Harry Potter's claims that Lord Voldemort had returned, and tried to hush up Cedric's death, claiming that it was a freak accident during the Tournament that killed him. They also slandered Harry Potter as a liar and questioned Albus Dumbledore's sanity.[4]

In death, Cedric proved to be an inspiration to many students at Hogwarts. His death was heartfelt and was tragic enough to cause even those who disliked Harry Potter to believe his claims of Voldemort's return. During the school year after Cedric's death, Hogwarts was under the watchful eyes of the Ministry of Magic with Dolores Umbridge, a high-ranking Ministry official being employed as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She constantly told students that Harry Potter lied about Cedric's death and refused to teach any practical magic.[4]

This started a rebellion amongst the students, and they formed Dumbledore's Army, an alliance against Umbridge that taught students how to prepare themselves for the day that Lord Voldemort announced his return. During the D.A's meetings, Cedric was a key point of interest, with students wanting accounts of how he died, and his former girlfriend, Cho, seeking comfort from Harry, by asking whether Cedric would have survived if he had known what they were being taught. Harry, in turn, assured her that Cedric had known what he (Harry) was teaching the other students, but Cedric was simply unable to match Voldemort's experience and evil, and that Harry himself had made it back through good luck, rather than greater talent.[5] Later on that year, only when incontrovertible proof of the Dark Lord's return was presented, did the Ministry believe Voldemort had indeed returned and that Cedric was actually murdered.[4]

Physical appearance

Cedric was a tall and extremely handsome young man with chiselled features, dark hair, and bright grey eyes. Although he was a Seeker, a position usually taken by small and light players, he was well-built and burly.[3] Cedric had attention from a few of the girls at Hogwarts, Angelina Johnson commenting he was tall and good-looking and Katie Bell stated he was "strong and silent". However, Fred remarked dryly to Katie's comment that Cedric was only silent because he was "too thick to string two words together".

Personality and traits

"We'll celebrate a boy who was, kind and honest, and brave, and true right to the very end."

Cedric was said to embody the qualities of Hufflepuff House within himself. He had a sense of fair play, and showed it when, following his capture of the Golden Snitch during the 1993 Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match, he immediately offered to replay the match once he found out that Harry Potter had fallen from his broom under the influence of Dementors.[3] He showed it again when he passed on information to Harry regarding how to decipher the Golden egg clue for the Second Task, and by realising that Harry had saved him in the maze and deserved to take the Triwizard Cup more than he did. Cedric was considered to be a very talented wizard, and more than capable of participating in the Tournament, even by Barty Crouch, Jr, who was posing as Alastor Moody at the time.[1]

Cedric was also courteously polite to foreigners: he was nice to Viktor Krum who was from Bulgaria, even though he supported Ireland during the 1994 Quidditch World Cup final. He was also modest, telling his father that his victory in the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match was not exactly a fair one. The Gryffindor Chasers (all the girls) described him as being strong and silent, suggesting that he was sensible enough to speak only when it was absolutely necessary, on the other hand the Beaters (Fred and George Weasley) said that he was quite dumb. The twins, however, were not given to many highly nuanced descriptions, and generally viewed an opponent as the enemy.

Magical abilities and skills

"By the time he was your age, he could turn a whistle into a watch and have it sing you the time."

Quidditch: Cedric was a skilled flyer and Quidditch player, even beating Harry Potter when the latter fell off his broom, although this had been due to the presence of Dementors. He was skilled enough to play as Seeker for his team, a position that was generally considered to be the hardest position to play. In particular, he was noted to have a very fast swerve.[3]

Transfiguration: Cedric was skilled in the art of Transfiguration, transformed a rock into a dog during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, and apparently took the subject at NEWT-level.[1]

Charms: Cedric took N.E.W.T.-level Charms classes and used a successful Bubble-head charm during the second task.[1]

Relationships

Amos Diggory

Amos Diggory was immensely proud of his son and his achievements, especially when he beat Harry Potter during a Quidditch match in 1993, dismissing Cedric's insistence that Harry had fallen off his broom because of Dementors just before Cedric caught the Snitch. During the Triwizard Tournament, Amos was outraged that the Daily Prophet completely overlooked the fact that Cedric was also a Hogwarts champion in favour of Harry Potter, and made no mention of him at all. Despite his son trying to point out that it wasn't Harry's fault, Amos countered by remarking that Harry hadn't done anything to correct them.[1]

After Cedric's death, Amos was overcome with grief. Along with his wife, he visited Harry in the hospital wing, and thanked him for bringing his son's body back, and assured Harry that he wasn't to blame for his son's death.[1]

Cho Chang

Cho Chang started dating Cedric when he asked her to be his partner for the Yule Ball. She was very taken with him, and they, along with the other Champions and partners, opened the dancing at the Ball. During the Second Task, Cho was the "something" that Cedric would "sorely miss", and was placed into a bewitched sleep. Taken beneath the waves of the lake to the Merpeople's village, Cedric rescued her. During the awarding of points for the Task, she gave him a glowing look. Cedric and Cho also went on a date at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop during the year.[1]

Cedric's death hit her hard, and she cried a lot over him.[1] In the following year, she grew closer to Harry, and was confused by her feelings for him, and felt guilty over them. However, their relationship was not to last, as she soon began using their relationship to talk about Cedric and try to get some closure over his death.[4]

Harry Potter

Cedric and Harry Potter had a relationship of mutual respect and friendliness, though they were not close. In 1993, when Gryffindor and Hufflepuff played against each other in Quidditch, Cedric offered to replay the match after Harry was incapacitated by Dementors, though the Gryffindors refused, acknowledging that Cedric caught the Golden Snitch fair and square.[3] The following year, when Harry was selected as Hogwarts' champion along with Cedric, Cedric was initially sceptical of Harry's claims that he was not to blame, but he still disapproved of students wearing Support Cedric Diggory/Potter Stinks badges and discouraged it. They assisted each other multiple times during the Tournament out of good sportsmanship, agreeing in the end that they were equally winners. Both of them touching the Triwizard Cup led to Cedric's murder, an event which haunted Harry for years. During Harry's duel with Voldemort, his spirit appeared to assist Harry when the two wands connected. He asked Harry to bring his body back to his parents. When the connection was broken, he and the other spirits that appeared distracted Voldemort to buy Harry enough time to escape with his body. Harry risked his own life to take Cedric's body back, nearly dying as the Portkey was too far away to reach, forcing him to use a Summoning Charm. Harry would later use the death of Cedric (along with the deaths of his mother and father) as added motivation when fighting Lord Voldemort.[1] Cedric's death allowed Harry to see thestrals at the beginning of his fifth year. Harry avenged Cedric when he killed Voldemort at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pomona Sprout

Because Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff student, Pomona Sprout respected him. When Harry Potter became the second Hogwarts champion in 1994, he felt that she had become distant with him as she was partial to Cedric because he was in Hufflepuff.[1] When Cedric Diggory was killed, she spoke to his parents, as she knew him best.[1]

Media

Etymology

The name Cedric was unintentionally created by Sir Walter Scott in his Ivanhoe character Cedric the Saxon when he misspelt the name Cerdic. Cerdic was a sixth-century Saxon leader and the first king of Wessex.

It is commonly believed that J. K. Rowling borrowed Cedric's last name from Digory Kirke in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series, as he is said to be one of her favourite authors.

Cedric's death is the first death Harry witnesses in the book series. Harry was in his cot when his mother died, but he would not remember this due to his age at the time, and he passed out before he sees Quirrell die. It could be that Harry did not see any Thestrals because he didn't care about Quirrell being dead. Yet, Harry is unable to see the Thestrals until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, because the reality of Cedric's death has not fully sunk in. Technically, however, Harry did not witness the event at all in the books, as he was described to have his eyes closed with agony during Cedric's actual death.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry, along with Fred and George Weasley, do not show signs of knowing Cedric previously, as the film implies that they are first introduced to him on the way to the Quidditch World Cup. In the novel, they already knew him from the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff in the previous school year, in which Cedric does appear in the film version as well.

Although Harry and Dumbledore have always said it was Voldemort who killed Cedric, it was actually Peter Pettigrew, under Voldemort's orders, who killed him. It could be that they meant that Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to kill Cedric.

In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Cedric does die in the graveyard, but his father gets instructions on how to rebuild him from Dumbledore. However, in the sequel, it is implied that Cedric is still dead, most likely to avoid creating a plothole surrounding the aftermath of his death and the Ministry's denial of Voldemort's return.